What Noam Yaacov committing to Utah means for the Runnin' Utes

The international recruiting trails delivered once again for Alex Jensen and the Utah men's basketball program on Monday, as Israeli guard Noam Yaacov officially joined the Runnin' Utes for the 2026-27 season.

Yaacov, who's widely considered one of the top European prospects to make their way to the states this cycle, will also go through the NBA draft process this spring, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. Utah reportedly beat out Villanova, Washington and Indiana for his pledge.

The 6-foot-1 floor general became the fifth offseason addition to Utah's 2026-27 roster, joining Utah Valley transfer guard Jackson Holcombe, Ohio State transfer guard Taison Chatman, Weber State transfer forward Malek Gomma and Wright State transfer guard TJ Burch.

Utes acquire a bonafide point guard

With its starting backcourt set to depart, Utah entered the transfer cycle in need of a true floor general. And in all truth, as dynamic of a combo as Terrence Brown and Don McHenry were, the Utes didn't really have a legitimate playmaker on the roster this past season. They ranked No. 192 nationally with 13.7 assists per game as a team, while no individual player put up over 3.9 assists on average (Brown led with 3.8).

Jensen and his staff are probably hopeful their latest addition will be a sort of remedy for the ailments that plagued the offense in 2025-26. Yaacov, who turns 22 years old in October, definitely fits the bill as someone who's putting up 5.8 assists per game while competing against some of Europe's top players in the BNXT League, which features the highest divisions of pro basketball in the Netherlands and Belgiu,

Yaacov, who's currently suiting up for Filou Oostende (Belgium), is also putting up a team-high 17.9 points per game to go along with 3.9 rebounds per contest. His proficiency from behind the arc, where he's knocking down 40.3% of his 4.6 attempts per game, should also provide a big boost for Utah, in addition to his overall scoring production and playmaking prowess.

Utah continues to add international flavor

Utah, which rostered over a half-dozen foreign players in Jensen's first season at the helm, will once again feature quite a blend of talent from all over the globe in the 2026-27 campaign. The backcourt alone is set to include three guards who hail from foreign land: Lucas Langarita (Spain), Obomate Abbey (Finland) and Yaacov, who was born in Denmark before immigrating to Israel at 13 years old to live with his grandparents.

A few years after moving, Yaacov began his international career with the Israel youth national team. He shined in his debut tournament, the FIBA U18 European Championship, averaging 19.3 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists across seven appearances.

Following two more tournaments with the youth team, Yaacov made his senior national team debut at the FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers in 2023. Israel didn't end up qualifying for the 2023 World Cup, though Yaacov was brilliant in his own right, with 15 points, 4.5 assists and 4 rebounds per game in two appearances against Finland and Slovenia.

Yaacov also gained valuable experience in the FIBA Eurobasket 2025 Qualifiers and the 2027 World Cup qualifiers. In total, he averaged 9.6 points. 3.5 assists and 2.6 rebounds over the three international tournaments he competed in with the Israel national team.

Utah's roster nears finalization

In addition to the three foreigners and trio of transfers, Utah's backcourt is also set to consist of Styles Clemmons, a blue-chip prospect from the Overtime Elite ranks, and a couple of 2024 commits returning from missions in Simeon Suguturaga and David Katoa.

The Utes' frontcourt features six players at the moment, including returners Babacar Faye and Colin McHaney, along with junior college standout Zati Loubaki, 2024 recruit Jaxon Johnson, Austrian prospect Fynn Schott and Gomma.

With 15 players on the books, the Utes don't have any more wiggle room to work with under the new 15-player roster cap (which includes walk-ons). A last-minute transfer prior to the April 21 deadline could change things, though for now, Utah is on pace to have its roster ready to go heading into the thick of spring.

NEWS: Oostende's Noam Yaacov has committed to Utah, agent Matan Siman-Tov tells DraftExpress.

The 6'2 Israeli point guard is averaging 17.9 points and 5.8 assists in 26 minutes, shooting 40% from 3.

He'll go through the 2026 NBA Draft process as an auto-eligible prospect. pic.twitter.com/U2xyDTGf2c
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 20, 2026

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